Chapter 10
Another Yokai At The School
...One of the other threats she had to worry about being important tests at school that she really needed to get a good score on!
Just after getting home yesterday from shopping, Peppi had been home (a rare occurrence, since she's always either working or just busy in general) and had reminded Hizuru that she had two tests to take the next day at school. The woman had also asked, in a rather scary tone, if Hizuru was ready to ace them, to which the girl had hurriedly replied a confident 'yes'.
But what a lie that confidence and answer was!
So, she was most likely to fail two important tests in school today... and to make matters worse, at the moment she was slowly losing an argument that she was having with a certain lion-dog.
Oh what was her life coming to? She was going soft, losing her edge!
"Mamoru, for the last time, NO." She adjusted her school bag on her shoulder for the billionth time, her hand still on the handle of the front door. "You cannot come to school with me. You're not even enrolled there, and your sudden appearance would just cause a big fuss anyway."
Having surpassed the point of whining and using the puppy-dog eyes, he gnashed his canines and told her firmly; "Hizu-chan, I know you have a high sense of pride, but I will not let you go anywhere unattended simply because it will hurt your ego to have me 'babysitting' you, as you like to put it."
"You already spend the nights here! Sure, I'd like you to protect me, but having you around 24/7 is not necessary!"
He took off the military cap on his head, his ears drooping in a sad way. She wanted to reach forward and scratch them, they looked so soft and cute, but she refrained herself and instead stared stubbornly into his wide eyes. Oh, those eyes... DAMMIT! He was using that disgustingly sweet, temptingly adorable puppy-dog look again on her!
"I am supposed to watch over you, it's my duty. And I refuse to let you out of my sight, especially after what happened with that lower-class demon the other day."
He had a point. It was his duty to watch over her, and he probably should keep an even closer eye on her now since more trouble just continued to find its way to her because of the curse's power.
Mamoru could see the way the girl was debating things in her head, and watched as her grip on the door knob loosened a bit.
Hizuru simply glared at the floor, avoiding that gaze of his that could be used as a weapon- or, perhaps it was his secret weapon. "You're just going to follow me if I leave now anyway, aren't you?"
He nodded twice. That was for sure an affirmative answer.
"Well," She relented. "I suppose..."
Hizuru glanced back over at Mamoru as his tail, which wasn't hidden at the moment, whipped back and forth excitedly at the sound of her finally giving in. He really was just so eager to please, and be by her side, and watch over her. Damn him and his insanely stubborn loyalty... and damn those cute, wide, shining puppy-dog eyes!
She heaved an enormous sigh. "FINE. You can walk me to the school, but that's it!"
He folded his arms and whined. "Oh, come on Hizu-"
"THIS IS MY FINAL OFFER." She raised her voice enough to show him how serious she was. "You may walk me to school, understand? And that is all-"
"To and from school." He added, with a grin.
She groaned. "But-"
"And, I get to see you during your free period at lunch."
"No!"
"I'll make sure to bring you miso soup every day."
"..."
"And lots and lots of nikuman."
"Deal." She paused. "But you absolutely cannot attend classes with me, got it? It really would cause some sort of unpleasant commotion."
Mamoru looked worried once again. "But wait, Hizu-chan... what if you're in danger and I can't get to you? I feel it'd be better for both of us, so that I don't have to worry and you aren't at risk, if I do attend classes with you. It really would be for the best and-"
Hizuru shot him her best glare. "Are you still going on about that? What did I just say?"
He whined, his ears pulled back, and those eyes were practically begging with her now. "I'm sorry..."
There was a pause as she stared at him. One second... two seconds... three seconds... only four seconds had passed, and then-
"Gaaahh!" She shook her head back and forth, trying to get the image of those sad puppy eyes out of her mind. "Alright, I give up! You can come to school with me, just- just STOP looking at me like that!"
"Thank you!" He exclaimed with a happy bark, and suddenly disappeared down the hallway.
The girl tilted her head, wondering where he'd gone off too. She felt obliged to wait for him, so, sighing in defeat, she leaned back against the door and closed her eyes, resting until he came back so she could take him to school with her.
A few short minutes later, he was standing in front of her again. She could feel his presence and hear his breathing before he spoke, so she opened her eyes to glare at him in annoyance and...
"Alright," He smiled down at her, quite handsomely this time. "Let's go, Hizu-chan!"
She looked him up and down, blinking several times. He was... dressed in the boy's uniform for her school?
"Where did you get that? Did you just have it in the other room?"
"Yup! Just in case." His hazel eyes had a certain shine to them now, maybe bordering on a mischievous look. "I always like to be prepared."
She opened her mouth, as if to reprimand him and get angry about this, but then her eyes traveled over him again and she couldn't help but stare, baffled by his appearance. When he wasn't wearing that big jean jacket and those old jeans, you could actually see that he was stronger than he appeared, with wide-set shoulders, a long torso, and also strong arms and long legs. When he wasn't hiding behind baggy street clothes, he really kind of looked, well, different. Wearing shiny dress shoes, dark grey slacks, a belt, and a white button-up, he looked rather impressive, one might say.
And then she glanced back up at his face, noticing again those bright, wide hazel eyes and that short arrangement of ginger-gold hair, with the dog ears sticking out of his head...
Yes, he looked impressive. Impressively adorable, that is.
She scowled, stepping towards him and standing on her tip toes so that she could reach up. "At least finish your disguise by hiding your ears, baka!" Her hands carefully tried to pat down his dog ears, flattening them to the top of his head.
Mamoru pouted, but then there was a 'poof!' and his ears had completely disappeared. "I hate having to do that..." He muttered softly.
Hizuru rolled her eyes and turned around then, opening the door and swiftly exiting the house. Now she was going to be late for school... great. Behind her, Mamoru started to tuck his shirt in, and the tail that had been wagging back and forth so joyously behind him was suddenly no where to be seen as he followed her out the door, completely content now that he had the pleasure of not only escorting her to school, but attending with her as well.
They turned away from the house and as they started to amble down the sidewalk, Hizuru eyed him carefully. "You're walking too close to me."
He laughed in that friendly, cheerful way of his. "On the contrary, Hizu-chan... I'm not walking close enough. In fact, if I could, I'd simply carry you to this 'school' place."
She puffed out her cheeks, refusing to speak to him anymore. There was just no getting around his fierce sense of protection over her...
Well, at least he wasn't carrying her. They both knew that no matter how badly he wanted to, she'd never allow it.
"When we get to the school... try to act normal, okay? It would be bad if you stood out."
Not but fifteen minutes later, Hizuru was banging her head into her desk, trying to focus on the studying for one of her tests but failing with all of the chatter going on in the classroom.
"Omigod, did you see the new guy? Look, he's right over there!"
"Kya~ He's just so cute!"
"Do you think he has a girlfriend?"
"Look at those eyes! I wish they were looking at me..."
"Wait, who is he even looking at?"
"Aww, why that girl?!"
The chatter suddenly died down a bit and Hizuru felt several pairs of eyes on her, glaring at her. The stares were probably from the entire female portion of the class, and she gulped, trying to ignore them. And then she looked just to her right, where her lion-dog and new classmate was sitting, staring at her with a peaceful expression on his face.
"Mamoru!" She whisper-hissed, trying not to make it obvious that she was talking to him. "What did I say about staring at me? I've already had to tell you twice- people notice it, and it looks weird, and, quite frankly, it's really starting to creep me out!"
He just smiled at her. Really, he was way too happy for his own good.
Another girl went 'Kyaaa~' when she saw him smile, and then the glaring at Hizuru stopped and they were all ogling the 'cute new guy' again.
"Pfff." Hizuru blew a chunk of hair out of her eyes, before staring straight ahead. She felt, if this continued, she would never properly study for the tests she had to take today. Also, with all the girls in the classroom squealing over how adorable and charming and lovable Mamoru is, her ears might bleed, or her head could explode.
Whichever comes first.
"Tomoe! What the heck, I told you no more mushrooms!"
"If you just tried them once, you'd like them, Nanami."
"No, I hate them, and I already know how disgusting they are!"
Kurama watched silently from his seat as Nanami berated the fox for putting more shiitake mushrooms in her lunch again. He sighed, glancing away when the fox saw him staring. Damn fox.
He was rather bored at the moment, and all of the girls seemed to have disappeared from the classroom for some reason, save for Nanami and her two friends he had already forgotten the names of. He could attempt to get close and flirt with them, (specifically Nanami) but he didn't feel up to starting a fight with the familiar at the moment. So all he could really do was sit there, and hope for something exciting to happen.
His eyes scanned the room again. Hell, even most of the boys in the class were gone! Where was everybody?!
Just then, the classroom door slammed, open, then quickly slammed shut. Everyone in the room (which weren't that many people) stared at who had just come in, and Kurama blinked in surprise.
There stood Hizuru, her long brown hair a mess, her cheeks pink, her eyes wide with a frantic look in them. She was pressed up against the wall, back flat against it, and she was eyeing the door- as if afraid something would come through it and attack her.
The tengu then remembered what had happened yesterday when they went shopping and the way she was attacked, and suddenly he found himself on his feet, approaching her.
When he was close enough to hear her irregular breathing, which was just a few steps away, her head whipped in his direction and her eyes widened, then narrowed on him.
"What are you doing?" She asked, trying her best to remain calm, though it was obvious something was still bothering her.
He folded his arms. "This is my classroom. What are you doing here?" He glanced over at the door, then back at her. "Are you being chased or something?"
Hizuru looked rather upset at that comment. "I-
There was a lot of squealing coming from out in the hallway, and the loud sound of many footsteps, traveling quickly, like a stampede. Kurama glanced at the door with an eyebrow raised, meanwhile, Hizuru pressed up against the wall again.
"Kyaaaa~ Maaamoooorruuuuu! Where are you gooooiinnnng?"
"He's just so cute, isn't he? Quick, hurry, he's getting away!"
"I just want to share my lunch with you~"
"Come baaack!"
"Awww, where do you think he's running off to in such a hurry?"
"Maybe he has a girlfriend?"
"WHAT?!"
Kurama looked back at Hizuru, after listening to the voices coming from just outside the classroom for a moment, and he blinked.
"Is there a problem?" She snapped at him, seeing the way he was looking at her.
Just as he opened his mouth to ask her what was going on, Nanami seemed to notice them. "Hizuru, is that you?"
Glad for an escape, Hizuru went around the tengu and hurried over to where Nanami was sitting, in a circle of her friends, plus Tomoe.
"Hi, Nanami." She smiled, and sat down in the nearest seat she could find.
Tomoe stared at her while Nanami smiled back. "Hi! What are you doing in our classroom?"
"I just thought... I'd come have lunch with you."
"Oh." Nanami looked happy, though surprised, to hear that. "Well, great! Let me introduce you to my friends, then." She turned and pointed to a girl with orange hair who was texting rapidly (how were her thumbs visibly blurring like that?), recognizing her as Kei, and then she pointed to a rather cute girl with pink hair, introducing her as Ami. Hizuru nodded politely, though she wasn't really listening when conversation began. She just wanted to rest for a moment...
"I keep getting all these texts about some new guy in the class down the hall." Kei suddenly spoke up, and the comment caught Hizuru's attention.
"What? New guy?" Nanami looked a little interested, if only because she was curious. "I wonder who it could be... maybe he's from a different country even!"
Just then, Kurama sat down, and right on the desk that Hizuru was sitting in front of, too. "A new, foreign kid? Is that who everyone's chasing down out in the hall?"
He noted the way Hizuru visibly froze, and wondered who it was. And what was going on, anyway? What'd she have to do with some guy?
"Hang on..." Kei attacked her phone again, checking all the texts and sending back her own answers. She looked up around the group. "Apparently, he's really cute." Her phone beeped, and she looked down at it. "...Not foreign, though."
While Nanami thought silently whilst picking the mushrooms out of her lunch, Tomoe looked at Kurama, who was staring at Hizuru. Then, his eyes landed on the girl as well. He noted how unsettled she looked, and wondered aloud; "I believe that Hizuru is in the class down the hall... isn't she?"
And all eyes turned to the girl trying not to get involved in the conversation.
"What?!" She got defensive, though that just made everyone more curious.
"What's he like?" Nanami asked.
"Is he really that cute?" Kei grinned.
"What's his name?" Ami wondered.
"It's not that dog of yours, is it?" Kurama finally asked, having come up with the answer now.
Hizuru inched back in her seat, now very grumpy. "I already get enough of this in my own classroom, so would you all please shut up?!"
The girls quieted down, but now Kurama was glaring at her. "You're the one who walked into our classroom. Why don't you just tell us who the new student is?"
"I would like to know." Tomoe stated, surprising both Nanami and Hizuru.
"I guess... I'm really curious as well." The Land God said timidly, hoping Hizuru wouldn't explode again and start yelling at them.
"If you tell us about it, I guess I'll owe you some miso soup, huh?" Kurama said, in his most tempting, sultry voice.
And for the second time that day, Hizuru caved.
"FINE." She sighed, exasperated and exhausted. "His name's Mamoru. He's a friend of mine. He started school here today, he's in my class. He's rather adorable, so all the girls, even some of the guys, are having a bit of a freak-out... and since I'm friends with him, everyone keeps asking me stupid questions." She said it very quickly, so everyone had to really pay attention.
"Is that why you ran in here? To hide from all the questioning?" Kurama asked, pestering her further. He was smirking now, as if it was funny.
She sent him a glare that could curdle dairy. "Yes. Though, that's not all of it. I had to get away from him, too. He's adorable, sure, but annoyingly loyal too." She heaved another sigh. "I can't even go to the bathroom without him waiting outside in the hall for me!"
Nanami looked at Kei, who looked at Ami, who looked confused and sympathetic, so then Kei looked back at Nanami. Both girls grinned.
"Sounds like... you have quite the problem, Hizu-chan..." Nanami said in a light sort of tone, still grinning.
"Yeah, that boy's crushing on you, hard." Kei added on slyly.
Hizuru sputtered like a dying fish. "Pha... wa... guh... SHUT UP!"
And she stood from her seat, her cheeks flushed in what looked like embarrassment. Her wide, brown eyes were almost sparking like a firecracker as she growled; "That's ridiculous! He's just my- we're only friends!"
Tomoe looked like he had stopped caring about the conversation, and was putting the mushrooms Nanami had gotten rid of, back into her food again. Nanami didn't notice, as she was still looking at Hizuru with that goofy, knowing grin on her face. Kei was texting again, and that really worried Hizuru, because she might be spreading rumors now... And Ami, well, at least Ami looked sympathetic still.
And Hizuru didn't dare try to see what the crow looked like. He was probably mocking her behind her back.
Suddenly furious, and still a bit embarrassed from the earlier 'crush' comment, the girl shoved her way past Kurama's legs blocking her path and hurried towards the classroom door without a word. She had decided this little 'peaceful retreat' of hers, wasn't any better than being chased down by Mamoru and his fangirls.
In fact, she'd rather take on him and his fangirls, than Nanami and her nosy, gossiping friend Kei.
The door slammed shut behind her, hard, as she made sure to leave her impression on the group still sitting inside the classroom.
As chatter started up again after Hizuru left, (chatter mainly about Mamoru, Hizuru, and the texts Kei was receiving about the situation), Kurama continued to sit and lean against the desk, half-listening to the conversation, half bothering himself with the fact that Hizuru not only had her dog with her at home it seemed, but also in classes at school as well.
Well, at least he wasn't bored anymore.
He just hoped that idiotic puppy wouldn't get in his way. He was supposed to have all the ladies to himself, after all.
The tengu smirked again. There was no way this would last that long.
Hizuru was sneaking through the hallway, trying to get back to her classroom, when-
"Oi, Mimori!"
She released a sigh and unhappily turned around. "What? Okay, what? What is it this time?!"
"Jeez, I was right about what I said before, you really are a bitch..."
"Mieko!"
"Oh shuddup, Hashimoto. I doubt she cares, she gets it all the time."
Hizuru looked at the two girls now standing in front of her. One, the girl named Mieko, had shoulder-length, straight black hair and dark, glimmering eyes. She was also very short, for someone who talked so boldly and had such a big attitude. The other girl, her friend that was referred to as Hashimoto, was actually rather tall (at least, she was taller than Hizuru)and had narrow, dark blue eyes, lightly tanned skin, and short, boyish, curly brown hair. A cute headband with a flower on it was on her head, giving her the appearance of having more of a sweet demeanor than her short, fiesty friend.
Hizuru vaguely remembered them from the other day...
"Sorry..." She mumbled, wanting to get away more than anything. "Can I- uh, can I help you?"
Please just say no. Please. She begged in her mind.
"Actually, yes."
Ugh.
"Okay..." She said, regrettably.
The girl known as Mieko stepped forward. Despite being four or five inches shorter than Hizuru, she was still intimidating. "So, first of all... what are you doing? So many people have been looking for you."
Hizuru looked at the taller girl, who looked away. It appeared she didn't want to bother her just as much as Hizuru didn't want to be bothered. But her friend, on the other hand...
"Hello? Are you even listening?"
She looked back down at Mieko, who had her hands on her hips now, impatiently waiting.
"I'm just headed back to class... I was in a different classroom, eating lunch with some friends." Hizuru spoke quietly, trying to ignore the fact that this girl she was speaking to really was quite small, and her curse was tugging at her to say something rude about it.
"Uh-huh, 'kay. Now, another question- how do you know that new guy? What's his name- Mamoru? What's your relationship with him, huh?"
Why do you even care?! Hizuru thought to herself, but refrained from yelling it in the girl's face. Instead, she responded with, "He's just my friend."
Mieko looked back at her friend, who was trying very hard not to get involved. She rolled her eyes, then looked back at Hizuru. "So, you two aren't, like... together? Coz' people are saying that you are. And girls are getting crazy jealous. And I'm curious, is it true? Are you guys dating? And if so, how did a bitch like you get a sweetheart like that? I mean, that guy's freaking adorable. Hashimoto said so herself."
The taller of the two looked a bit uncomfortable, and blushed.
Meanwhile, Hizuru's eyes narrowed. This was getting just too damn annoying now. "What is this, some sort of interrogation?"
Mieko tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "In fact, it is. I just want my questions answered. It's for the good of the whole school- trust me."
"...Well it's none of your business, or anyone else's, anyway. And why should I have to answer to the likes of you?"
A brow was raised. "The likes of me? What's that supposed to mean huh?"
Oh no.
Hizuru smirked, folding her arms. "Well, you're not exactly all that impressive, now are you?"
Teeth were grit. "And just what are you saying by that! C'mon, stop beating around the bush, JUST SAY IT!"
Hizuru glanced over at Hashimoto, who was frantically shaking her head back and forth. The girl then mouthed; 'don't do it'.
And the cursed girl looked back down at the shortie. "You're kinda short for a Highschooler, don't you think?"
At this statement, Mieko blanched. She was glaring at Hizuru, but said nothing, maybe she was waiting for more. Crap, stupid curse!
"I mean really, if it weren't for the loud and obnoxious sound of your voice, I never would have seen such a pint-sized person."
"Um, Mimori..." Hashimoto spoke up. "You really shouldn't say anything else about her size-"
Mieko spun on her friend. "My size is just fine, thank you very much! I'm not short! I'm just..."
"Loud, nosy, bossy, lacking-in-height." Hizuru offered up, wincing with each word she spoke.
Both girls looked at her, astonished that a person could be so rude. Hizuru tried biting her tongue, and it worked, for the time being.
"Excuse me-"Suddenly, the taller of the two stepped in front of her short friend, who was, at the moment, fuming and turning a very unhealthy shade of angry red. Hashimoto's eyes looked sharper than before, and she gazed at Hizuru very sternly. "I refuse to just stand here any longer and have you insult my friend like that. If you're not going to speak like a decent human being, then don't bother opening that mouth of yours."
Hizuru wanted to apologize, she did. And right then, the curse couldn't find anything bad to say about this girl. She was tall and had a nice body, her hair may be short and boyish but it was a good look for her, and she was pretty. Not cute, or beautiful, but very pretty. Her skin was flawless as well, and the way she stood up for her friend showed good character.
What a good person. It really surprised Hizuru that this girl would be hanging out with someone as... sassy as Mieko.
"S-Sorry." Hizuru finally managed to stutter, her tongue swelled slightly from having to bite it to keep more harsh words at bay. "I've had a bad day and... I took it out on your friend." She looked over to Mieko. "Sorry. You're not all that short, really..."
Mieko blinked. Then she looked at her friend, who looked back down at her. They both looked at Hizuru, and then they were each... smiling? And... giggling, a little bit?
"You liar." Mieko laughed again. "Well anyway, I knew you weren't all that bad," she said, unexpectedly nudging Hizuru on the arm. "and it's nice to see you're not a bitch all the time, ya know?"
"But just so you know, Mieko will still want all her questions answered." Hashimoto informed, smiling.
And Hizuru was confused. "Erm... what was the point of this conversation, again?"
Sighing, Mieko started walking. "Let's talk on the way to class. I have a feeling we might be late if we stand here any longer."
"We're in the same class?" Hizuru wondered aloud, following after the other two girls.
"Wow," Hashimoto sighed. "You didn't even notice us? Or maybe-"
"You're more of an anti-social outcast than we first thought." Mieko added on, to which she received a stern look from her friend and a shrug from Hizuru.
"Yeah, well..." Hizuru simply shrugged again, having no words to explain.
"So, anyway, me and Hashimoto-" Mieko paused, looking back at Hizuru. "-her first name's Rena. I just call everyone by last names."
Hizuru nodded, and Mieko continued.
"We heard all these rumors that have been going on about you and the new kid all day, and earlier in class we witnessed him staring at you for almost half an hour straight. Hashimoto thinks he's cute, as does most of the school, and so, for the sake of the school, I wanted to ask you if he was free or not."
Hizuru looked annoyed again. "Everyone's been bothering me about this today! Look, Mamoru's my friend. We aren't in a romantic relationship of any kind. So go tell everyone that, would you? So they'll stop pestering the both of us."
"So... he's your friend."
"Yes."
"Just your friend?"
Okay, now she was offended. Abruptly, Hizuru stopped walking, and the two girls turned to look back at her. "Mamoru isn't 'just' anything. He's really amazing, and honestly, I don't tell him this enough, but I'm incredibly lucky to have him in my life." When she saw the looks the girls were giving her, she scowled. "Don't get me wrong here! We really are just friends! But we're close friends, and I care about him..." Her eyes landed solely on Rena. "So if you want to date him, be my guest. Just don't hurt his feelings, or I'll give you hell to pay. He really is just as sensitive as he looks."
The two friends looked at her. Then they looked at each other. And then, shyly, Rena said; "Okay but... I have a boyfriend already."
Hizuru deadpanned. "Eh?"
Mieko looked ready to start laughing again. "What, you think a pretty girl like Hashimoto doesn't already have her guy? She just thinks your friend is cute, that's all."
"...Oh."
That's probably good. That idiot dog wouldn't even know how to date anyway...
Just then, the bell rang, and Rena was gone in an instant, squealing about being late and sprinting down the hall. Hizuru blinked, then looked over at Mieko, who sighed.
"She's a perfect student. Hates to be tardy, or have even a single bad grade."
Hizuru nodded in understanding, and the two of them stood awkwardly for a moment. Finally, Mieko turned around. "Well, I better catch up with her. And you better hurry too, ya know! Our sensei hates tardiness." She stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes, before walking away.
"Uh... yeah." Hizuru commented, still unsure of what had just happened. Two people had talked to her. And not acted as if they completely hated her.
Suddenly, she heard Mieko yelling back at her; "One more thing, Mimori! Don't be thinking this'll be the last time we talk!"
...Is that her own weird way of saying they want to be friends with me? Hizuru thought to herself, slowly trudging after the other girl and having momentarily forgotten about the test that she had to take once she got back to the classroom.
Kurama shuddered as he made his way through the hallways, pretty much going unnoticed.
He couldn't believe it was all still going on! It was already the end of school, and only a few girls had come up to him today!
"And it's all thanks to that damn puppy..." Kurama grumbled, walking out the front doors of the school with not a single girl following behind him, not a single girl pestering him for an autograph, or chattering about his music, or pulling at his clothes, or admiring his face...
It was rather miserable.
"...Wait, Hizu-chan!"
"Baka! Go away, you'll attract hordes of screaming females!"
Kurama stopped walking for a moment, and listened.
"But... just... wait for me, please!"
"Shh! Fine! Over... over here!"
He turned towards the familiar voices, looking for Hizuru and her dog. At first, he saw no one, but upon looking again more closely he realized there were two people trying to hide behind a tree over by the corner of the school building. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, Kurama started to walk towards it. He could continue to hear their conversation, the closer he got.
"Mamoru." Hizuru, Kurama decided, sounded as if she had a terrible headache. "What did I tell you this morning?"
There was a whining sound, very close to the sound of a saddened puppy. "Well... you said a lot of things this morning..."
"I told you it was a bad idea to come to school with me... I also said it'd be bad if you stood out, and well, based off of today's experience, what do you think? Was I right or wrong about that?"
"...You were right."
"So that settles it! You're not coming to school with me, ever, ever, EVER again!"
"But... But Master-"
"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT CALLING ME THAT?!"
Just then, Kurama made his way to them, coming around the trunk of the tree to see both Mamoru and Hizuru standing there, like he had thought they'd be. His eyes narrowed when he saw the familiar, and the dog didn't seem to look back at him all that kindly as well, but then, Kurama just ignored him and looked at the fuming girl beside him.
"You should try to stop screaming like that, if you're trying to hide." He stated calmly, smirking at Hizuru as she turned her gaze on him and glared.
"Oi, you stay out of this, crow..." She rubbed her temples, closing her eyes.
Mamoru looked worried. "Are you alright?" He asked the troubled girl, and then hazel eyes were angrily set on Kurama. "Don't upset my Master, tengu."
"Enough with the 'Master'..." Hizuru halfheartedly mumbled, still rubbing her temples and trying to calm herself. It was very apparent she had had a rough day. And, ironically, it was probably all thanks to the person who was supposed to keep her safe.
Kurama merely smiled sourly at the over-protective lion-dog. "I think you're the one upsetting her, mutt."
The other boy growled, his lip even curled slightly.
"Shut. Up. Both of you."
Both boys turned to Hizuru who was using such a quiet voice, it was both alarming and a nice change from her usual yelling. She sighed, looking at each of them in turn.
"Look. Several times today, I was nearly trampled to death by screaming girls. Then, when I couldn't find a hiding place, I was bombarded by a long list of unwelcome questions from all the nosy people in our school- which is basically everyone. Also, I failed two tests today. I couldn't eat my lunch in peace, and, some girls tried to use me as a tracking device to get to Mamoru." She sent a glare to the lion-dog. "I think they followed me for at least an hour... it was hard to tell, because I've also had a headache bothering me all day." Sighing, she closed her eyes. "And now I have to go home, and deal with Peppi yelling at me for failing my tests... and I have some chores to do, plus, Satomi's going to want me to help her with dinner... There's homework to be done... and Mamoru's going to need to have his special tea made for him... the roof needs repairing and I need to do the laundry..."
Kurama looked at Mamoru, who was looking sadly back at Hizuru. The dog looked rather guilty... And Kurama supposed, he kind of felt a little guilty as well. He actually felt bad for Hizuru as the list of her troubles just continued to grow, and he'd even go as far as to say he was genuinely worried about her. She looked entirely worn out. Hah, and he thought he had had a bad day... apparently, he wasn't the only one. And... admittedly, her day had been far worse when compared to his own.
"...And then there's the curse to worry about as well." She finished, sighing heavily and leaning back against the tree. Her eyes were still closed, and she seemed to be trying to silently will her headache to stop.
Mamoru looked at Kurama, who looked back at Mamoru, sensing that they had to do something for her. He, too, sighed, and nodded to the dog.
"Hizuru." He knew he'd regret this. He was far too busy to concern himself with just one tired girl.
"Mm." She didn't even look at him when he spoke. But Kurama would just ignore how annoying that was for now.
"Why don't you..." He glanced at the familiar, who gave him a stern look. "Why don't we continue looking into how to get rid of your curse. You can come back to my house with me-" He heard Mamoru growling softly. "-and I guess your dog can come too." Quickly, he added on the end, "As long as he doesn't shed all over my expensive furniture, that is." He smirked.
Not paying Mamoru's growling any heed, Hizuru opened her eyes and glared at Kurama. "Why are you being nice to me?"
The crow tried his best to smile innocently. "I can be nice."
"No. You can be self-centered, dramatic, perverted, and blatantly disrespectful of others, but never 'nice'."
He grit his teeth while Mamoru chuckled about the true insults.
"Oi-"
"However..."
Oh good, there's a 'however'. Kurama thought, easing up a little bit and relaxing his tensed shoulders.
Hizuru looked right at him, those big, brown eyes of hers giving him this really sweet, endearing look. Her gaze softened, and she spoke almost kindly to him.
"If you have some food at your house, and something I can take to get this headache of mine to go away, then I will gladly... gladly, accept your offer."
Kurama felt taken aback, and for the moment ignored the glowing of the curse markings in her eyes and just lost himself in the depths of warm, chocolate brown. He couldn't help but marvel at how inviting and lovely those eyes truly were. And also, he took her words into account, and he supposed... she could be a bit cute, every now and then. A bit nice.
Maybe she did have a sweeter side to her.
"No matter how weirdly-nice of an offer it is."
His eyes narrowed. Or maybe not.
It was three hours later, getting pretty late. Outside, it was gradually growing darker and early night was coming on.
Inside of Kurama's house, Hizuru was fast asleep on the couch. Mamoru was standing in the next room over, talking on a phone call. Kurama had just gotten out of the shower, and was coming down the stairs dressed in silken pajama bottoms, ruffling his damp hair with a towel.
It was relatively peaceful, compared to earlier.
Earlier, when Hizuru had been screaming like a banshee, throwing things at Kurama, and angrily plucking his feathers, and Mamoru had been laughing and rolling on the ground in the crow's expense.
You see, shortly after the three of them had arrived at Kurama's residence, Mamoru had gone to make tea while Kurama found some medicine for Hizuru's headache. They had sat down with her and she had taken the medicine, calmly sipping at the tea for a short while... when her headache had finally gone away, she suggested they start studying more about the curse. So, while Mamoru and Kurama went to get some of the books in Kurama's collection, Hizuru had gone off to the bathroom.
And that was when things got... well.
[short flashback]
"What the hell?! EEUUURRGGHH, KURAMAAAA!"
Both boys ran into the bathroom, where Hizuru happened to be, and Mamoru's eyes widened and he quickly looked away, while Kurama turned beet red.
"Um-"
"I THOUGHT YOU HAD GOTTEN RID OF THESE YOU PERVERT!"
"It's just a magazine, calm dow-"
*Pluck!*
"OW! Oi, I said just calm down!"
"You never tell a girl to calm down, BAKA TENGU!"
*Pluck!*
"Ow!"
*Pluck!*
"Ouch!"
*Pluck!*
"WILL YOU STOP THAT?!"
"NO MORE DIRTY MAGAZINES, GOT IT?!"
"OKAY, FINE!"
*Pluck!*
"STOP PLUCKING ME, DAMMIT!"
And that's when she started throwing things again.
Then, after a while of her chasing him around and threatening him, plucked crow feathers had been scattered all over the apartment, and eventually Kurama had flown up close to the ceiling in order to avoid Hizuru's grabbing hands and her angry throwing habits.
After things had died down, and Kurama felt it was safe to plant his feet on the ground again, the three of them began to read. Things had grown almost eerily quiet after that, all the yelling and plucking seemed to have been forgotten as they each silently did their research. Mamoru read diligently, hoping to find something in one of the books that would help out his master. Kurama, not one for heavy reading, just flipped back and forth through each book's index, occasionally finding something of interest. And Hizuru found a particular book that she liked, and retrieved a piece of paper and a pencil from her school bag in order to start taking notes.
And that's how things carried on, for a couple of hours.
Now, back to the present.
Kurama descended the stairs, finishing with towel-drying his hair and allowing the white cloth to settle around his neck. He could hear the mutt in the next room over, speaking on the phone with someone. Then, he looked around the room, and caught sight of Hizuru, curled up on the couch and fast asleep, not making a sound.
Unknowingly, he drew closer to her. He was walking straight towards her, though it didn't seem to register in his brain until he was standing over her, looking down at her sleeping form. He was right beside the couch now, close enough to hear the breath slowly drawing in and out of her small, pink mouth. Her eyelashes gently touched her cheeks with the way her eyes were closed like that, and she simply looked peaceful.
And the longer he looked at her, the more fond he grew of looking at her.
She was kinda cute, when she was taking a nap like that. With her long hair curled every which way around the pillow, and her face left blank and calm. Her cheeks looked a bit pink, like her lips were, and suddenly he remembered the two times that he had kissed those lips... it had been nice, though a bit clumsy, as both times he had taken her by surprise.
Kurama instinctively leaned forward, daring to put a hand near the girl's shoulder. He checked her face for signs of her waking up, but when she only sighed in her sleep, he brushed his fingers over a lock of her hair in mere curiosity.
It was... so... soft.
In his surprise, he couldn't really help it, and his fingers began to travel through her long, dark chocolate locks of hair, gently untangling the strands. He was in the middle of marveling over how surprisingly soft it was, (when compared to her not-so-soft personality- hah, he smirked at that thought) when she stirred, and her head moved to the side. Quick as a flash, he swiped his hand back.
And then, he turned around and rubbed the back of his head, feeling both guilty and very out of his element here. He was suddenly really uncomfortable.
"What the hell..." He said aloud, frustrated with the lack of control he had over his own sudden and weird urges. Seriously, that was weird.
He sneaked a glance over his shoulder, his locks of maroon hair swaying while his charcoal eyes stared at her in a strange sort of way. Hizuru sighed in her sleep, and moved her hand onto her stomach, curling her body inwards. And in her sleep, he could swear, he heard her say 'miso soup'.
Kurama smirked, though it was also bordering on something of a small smile. Of course, she would be dreaming of her favorite foods, weird girl that she was.
He turned back around again and looked down at her face, noticing that even though she looked a lot like Nanami, she really was different. Maybe it was stupid, but he could at least notice the subtle differences between the two. Hizuru's hair was almost a darker brown, and her eyes were a lighter brown, than Nanami's. Her nose was shaped a little differently. And as far as he could tell, Hizuru had more of a temper on her than the Land God did (though Nanami did have her outbursts, on occasion). Really though, Hizuru was much worse than whenever Nanami got upset.
"Pff." He shook his head, glaring down at the slumbering girl. "Of all the girls to come home with me, I get a cursed, hot-tempered idiot and her dog."
"...Mmm..." Hizuru mumbled, startling him for a moment. "...steamed pork buns..."
He smiled, if only just barely, but caught himself and leaned back, away from the couch slightly. "Someone should really get this girl some food..."
"Mmmm..."
Hearing her humming in her sleep was starting to get to him, and, smirking coolly, he walked around the couch until he was standing where, if her eyes were open, she would clearly be able to see him. He moved closer, putting one arm on the couch, and leaning over her small form. With his free hand, he flicked his hair back, and sighed dramatically in that way he knew most girls freaked out over. Again, he thought back to when he had kissed her. His smirk grew.
"If I knew you were dreaming of me instead of food, I might be tempted to wake you with a kiss..." He half-hoped she couldn't hear him- if she woke up and remembered this, he'd probably become a feather-less crow. "Though, I must admit, you're more of a sleeping beauty than I thought you'd be..." He leaned close enough to whisper in her ear, "If you weren't so temperamental and rude, I might offer you tickets to my next show. And then... after the show, we could-"
He stopped, hearing her start to make some sort of attempt at speaking in her sleep. Moving away from her, he stood beside the couch again and looked down at her with the smirk still planted on his face, waiting for her to say something. Who knows, maybe, with the sound of his perfect, melodic voice whispering in her ear, she had started to dream about him.
"...s...st..."
He leaned a bit closer, to better catch what she said."
"...Stupid...tengu..."
Kurama's face fell, and, frustrated, he unfurled his wings. She always called him these stupid names! None of them were true! He was amazing, everyone thought so! "Stupid? You dare call this stupid?" He let his wings flap lightly behind him, and moved his arms out to either side of himself, to show off his bare chest.
The sleeping girl made no response to the display, however.
Grumbling to himself, Kurama pouted and folded his arms, feeling rather ignored.
Meanwhile, in the next room over, Mamoru was just finishing up with his phone call.
"Okay... thank you Peppi. I'll make sure to bring her home before it gets too dark out. We wouldn't want any... trouble popping up. Especially at night." Mamoru spoke into the phone, and shortly after that he hung up. Then, his dog ears (which he decided it was okay not to hide anymore) perked upwards at the sound of Kurama in the next room... talking to himself?
The lion-dog familiar turned into the adjoining room, and stopped abruptly. He growled, being met with the sight of a half-naked tengu standing right beside the couch Hizuru was lying on, staring intently at her with a scowl on his face. The tengu flicked his head back, getting his hair out of his eyes, and then he resumed his pouting.
Before Mamoru could bark at the bird to stop doing whatever it was he was doing, Kurama seemed to notice that he was no longer alone with the girl, and he looked over at the frustrated dog.
Charcoal eyes stared into hazel ones. "She really is tired." Was all the idol said, in a clipped tone.
The lion-dog familiar paused for a moment, and looked over at his sleeping master.. "Yes, she is..." His ears drooped. "And I'm afraid it was all my fault..."
"Yeah."
"You didn't have to agree with me!" Mamoru barked, snarling as he looked back up at the tengu.
Kurama put his hands up in defense, though he was now smirking a bit. "Okay, my apologies, stupid mutt." He walked over to the other couch that wasn't already occupied by a girl's slumbering form, and sat down, carefully stretching out his wings and sighing as he relaxed. He grabbed the towel from around his neck and threw it behind him, too lazy and comfortable now to take it to the laundry room himself- though he didn't have to worry about it, the cleaning ladies would take care of it the next time they came to his place.
Mamoru whined in disapproval of the nickname the tengu had given him, but then his gaze fell on Hizuru. His eyes grew soft and he attained that adorable, puppy-dog look of his as he approached her.
The crow looked up at the lion-dog, seeing the man effortlessly lifting the still-fast-asleep Hizuru from the couch and into his arms. "What are you doing?"
Mamoru cradled her like a baby, gently turning her head in towards his chest before turning to acknowledge the crow. "Taking her home." He blinked at the other, as if it was obvious what he was doing.
Kurama leaned further back into the soft cushions of the couch. His eyes flickered once to the girl held in the dog's arms, but then he found those hazel eyes again. "I can get a car to take you both back."
Quickly, the mutt was at the door- he had shaken his head at Kurama's offer, and already grabbed Hizuru's school bag. Out of the bag, he pulled a hat, and placed it on his head in order to successfully cover his ears up. He then double checked on the girl sleeping soundly in his arms, before turning to acknowledge the tengu.
"That isn't necessary, I can take her myself. I... really don't like cars. Or any means of transportation, for that matter."
Kurama's eyes narrowed, and he smirked. "I thought dogs loved chasing cars?"
Mamoru shot him a look that said to shut up.
The crow looked away, shrugging. "You so easily refuse my help. Well, suit yourself, but I would think it would be much safer for her if you took a car back. What if some demon turned up as you were walking down the street?"
Sighing, Mamoru shook his head. "I can keep her safe. And I'm fast on my own, so it won't take long to get her back, safe and sound. Thank you for the offer, but I don't need your help when it comes to taking care of her."
Sitting forward slightly, the tengu wondered aloud. "You don't like me much, do you?"
"Well..." The familiar looked a bit hesitant about what he was going to say next, but eventually, he just said it. "I wouldn't say that. You're not that bad, I suppose, but... the thing is, I don't really like the way you smell."
Kurama coughed, taken aback. "My smell? And what the hell does that mean, I smell bad?"
Mamoru grinned. "Well, lion-dogs have an extreme, heightened sense of smell, so that we can sniff out demons and such. If I were to explain it... you smell like the peak of a mountain, which isn't all that bad, but there's also a weird bird smell that mixes in with that."
Offended, Kurama's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Weird, bird smell?"
The dog seemed rather cheery now, as if secretly happy about causing the idol some distress. "Oh yes! I can't really explain it that well... but don't worry. No one else can smell that specific scent on you except me. It's a scent that's hard to get a whiff of unless you have a nose like mine!"
Kurama seemed a little relieved, though still offended. He was tempted to smell himself, but knew it would look stupid. Instead, he just glared at the dog.
Who just smiled right back. "Thank you for what you did for her today, crow. I'm sure she appreciates it, as do I."
Another thing that took him by surprise. Kurama blinked at the dog, before glancing at the sleeping Hizuru, and wondering if she really did appreciate him. Finally, he looked the other way, waving the dog off. "Not a problem for someone as generous as me. No need to thank me," He flicked his hair back again. "I'm just that great, after all-"
The door opened and quickly shut. Apparently, Mamoru wasn't very impressed by Kurama's words.
Alone now, Kurama spoke all his current problems with the world aloud in order to relieve some stress. "Damn dog..." He muttered, turning over on his stomach on the couch, grabbing a pillow, and resting his head on it. "I hope he doesn't keep coming back to the school. I already have the fox always getting on my nerves and stealing the girls, I don't need an idiotic mutt doing that as well. Just one loyal familiar is enough- though I'd rather there be none at all."
He turned on his side, closing his eyes and thinking. Though... at least the damn fox protects Nanami... and that stupid mutt keeps Hizuru out of trouble...
Now picturing Hizuru's sleeping face in his mind, Kurama wondered... When he had his next concert, maybe he really should invite her.
So long as the dog didn't come with. She didn't always need that idiot- he could watch out for her himself.
After all, he was the great Kurama! Fallen Angel from Hell!
He smirked to himself. He always had liked that title.
A/N: A lion-dog is a yokai, right? If it's not, then the name of this chapter is incorrect... oh well ^-^ I think it is.
Sorry if Kurama seemed a tad OOC in any part of this chapter. Sometimes, it's hard to write what his character is like or the things he would be thinking. :P But I do believe he has a hidden soft side (: Over all, he sure thinks a lot of himself, and loves the attention he gets, and that'll never change...
but my mind always goes back to the anime episode 'God Becomes A Target' at the end, where Nanami grabs Kurama's face in her hands after he says to leave the scrape he got on his cheek alone, and she tells him he needs to look his best, because she doesn't like him but plenty of other girls do... and he BLUSHES. He has a sensitive side, you just know it!
Leave a review saying what your favorite part of this chapter was, and you can take Mamoru for a walk!
CK :*